New sliding system applied to foldaway furniture

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to the provision of an entirely original new mechanical system, specifically designed to provide a sliding means by which a folding spring mattress, hinged to a covering panel which in turn is hinged to a cabinet can slide toward the back of this cabinet, thereby enabling the folded spring mattress to descend when it is placed in a vertical position, with the new effect of being able to build the aforementioned cabinet with a lower height and better proportions and, therefore, a better appearance, which is especially important in the aforementioned type of product.

Herrera Dec. 2, 1975 NEW SLIDING SYSTEM APPLIED TO FOLDAWAY FURNITUREInventor: Jose Pardo Herrera, Carretera de Logrono, Km. 1,7, Zaragoza,Spain Filed: Feb. 4, 1974 Appl. No.: 439,587

Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 3, 1973 Spain 411250 U.S. Cl. 5/2B; 5/159 R; 312/237 Int. Cl. A47C 13/38 Field of Search 5/2 R, 8, 6, 20,149, 150,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS641,120 6/1962 Italy ..5/6 1,336,806 7/1962 France ..5/6

Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Edward F.Connors ABSTRACT The present invention relates to the provision of anentirely original new mechanical system. specifically designed toprovide a sliding means by which a folding spring mattress, hinged to acovering panel which in turn is hinged to a cabinet can slide toward theback of this cabinet, thereby enabling the folded spring mattress todescend when it is placed in a vertical position, with the new effect ofbeing able to build the aforementioned cabinet with a lower height andbetter proportions and, therefore, a better appearance, which isespecially important in the aforementioned type of product.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 1 of 23,922,734

Sheet 2 of 2 3,922,734

U.S. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 llll 1 Fig.5

NEW SLIDING SYSTEM APPLIED TO FOLDAWAY FURNITURE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of The Invention:

The present invention generally pertains to new and novel improvementsof cabinets in which a spring mattress can be moved into and out of thecabinet so that the cabinet can be of relatively small proportions foruse in small rooms.

2. State of The Art:

Prime devices of this kind show that a mattress can be folded into andout of a cabinet but do not teach that the mattress when extended can berotated in a horizontal plane to move the mattress in any directionwhich best suits the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is toprovide a cabinet which occupies a small space "and in which the springmattress may be swung into the cabinet for storage when not in use andmay be withdrawn from the cabinet for use.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide meanswhereby the mattress when withdrawn from the cabinet can be rotated in ahorizontal plane to adjust the mattress to any position suitable to theuser.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means for keepingthe mattress raised so that no contact exists between the mattress andits supporting panel when the mattress is being rotated to the desiredposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of acabinet with the covering panel extended out of the cabinet.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 in which a folding spring mattress isshown fastened to the covering panel.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the female guide plate.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the guide plate.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the same plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularlyto the accompanying drawings, the reference character A generallydesignates a cabinet to which is hingedly connected a covering panel 3to which is affixed a guide plate 1. The plate 1 is provided with aplurality of openings or holes 2 as can be seen from FIG. 3 of thedrawing for the reception of fastening means, such as screws 2a shown inFIG. 1 of the drawings for securing the guide plate 1 to the coveringpanel 3. The plate 1 may be made of metal or any other suitable materialand as shown more par ticularly in FIG. 5 of the drawings is providedwith guide ways or channels 1a formed by bending the opposite lengthwiseedges upwardly and inwardly in overlying relation to the main body ofthe plate 1 as indicated at lb in FIG. 5 of the drawings.

A male sliding member 4 is received by the channels 1a of the plate 1.The member 4 carries at a central portion a shaft 5 on which a strip 6of metal or other suitable material is adapted to rotate. The strip 6 is5 covering panel 3 when the mattress is rotated about the shaft 5, acoil spring 7 is provided which surrounds the shaft 5 and is compressedbetween the sliding member 4 and the strip 6 so that it keeps the springmattress B raised and no contact takes place between the mattress andthe covering panel 3 when the mattress is being rotated on the shaft 5to the desired position.

In the use of the device, the covering panel 3 will be withdrawn fromthe cabinet A by pulling the panel 3 downwardly to the position shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The spring mattress B will then berotated on the shaft 5 in a horizontal plane to move the mattress to thedesired position. The mattress can also be moved in the horizontal planeby sliding the sliding member 4 in the guide plate 1. When the user nolonger wishes to use the mattress it will be rotated on the shaft 5 toits original position and the covering panel 3 will be raised until themattress is again housed in the cabinet A.

Of course, while the best known form of the present invention has beendescribed herein and shown in the drawings, it is obvious that changescan be made therein so that the inventive concept is only restricted bythe spirit and terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An article of furniture in the form of a combination cabinet andfolding bed comprising a cabinet having a bottom wall, spaced apartvertical side walls, a top wall, a vertical rear wall and an open front,a front panel having a lower end portion hingedly attached to thecabinet so as to be movable from a closed vertical position wherein itcloses off the open front and forms a front wall for the cabinet into anopen horizontal position, a channel strip fixedly superimposed on theinside face of the front panel and disposed at right angles to thehinged horizontal axis of the front panel, an articulated mattress bedunit composed of hingedly attached sections and adapted to be foldedinto a collapsed condition with the sections vesting on one another andto be stored in such collapsed condition within the cabinet, a stripmember slidable in said channel strip for longitudinal movement normalto the hinged axis of the open front panel, a pivot member carried bythe slidable strip member and arranged perpendicular thereto, a guidestrip affixed to one of the bed unit sections and rotatably mounted onthe pivot member whereby the bed unit can be slid out from the cabinetand the sections opened and then the open bed unit can be rotated aboutthe pivot member to place the open bed in selected angular positions onthe open front panel relative to the cabinet.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said pivot member is a shaftfixedly projecting perpendicular from the slidable strip member.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein a coil spring encircles said shaftand has one end abutting the slidable strip member and the other endabutting the guide strip on the mattress bed unit section so that thestrip and mattress bed are held in spaced relation to the front panelwhen the mattress bed unit is slid and rotated relative to the frontpanel.

1. An article of furniture in the form of a combination cabinet andfolding bed comprising a cabinet having a bottom wall, spaced apartvertical side walls, a top wall, a vertical rear wall and an open front,a front panel having a lower end portion hingedly attached to thecabinet so as to be movable from a closed vertical position wherein itcloses off the open front and forms a front wall for the cabinet into anopen horizontal position, a channel strip fixedly superimposed on theinside face of the front panel and disposed at right angles to thehinged horizontal axis of the front panel, an articulated mattress bedunit composed of hingedly attached sections and adapted to be foldedinto a collapsed condition with the sections vesting on one another andto be stored in such collapsed condition within the cabinet, a stripmember slidable in said channel strip for longitudinal movement normalto the hinged axis of the open front panel, a pivot member carried bythe slidable strip member and arranged perpendicular thereto, a guidestrip affixed to one of the bed unit sections and rotatably mounted onthe pivot member whereby the bed unit can be slid out from the cabinetand the sections opened and then the open bed unit can be rotated aboutthe pivot member to place the open bed in selected angular positions onthe open front panel relative to the cabinet.
 2. The invention of claim1, wherein said pivot member is a shaft fixedly projecting perpendicularfrom the slidable strip member.
 3. The invention of claim 2, wherein acoil spring encircles said shaft and has one end abutting the slidablestrip member and the other end abutting the guide strip on the mattressbed unit section so that the strip and mattress bed are held in spacedrelation to the front panel when the mattress bed unit is slid androtated relative to the front panel.